A FORMER AUSTRALIAN spy and star witness in the maritime dispute between Timor-Leste and Australia could face criminal charges if he has broken national security laws, according to Australia’s Attorney General Senator George Brandis.

In an extraordinary 24 hours, Australian Security & Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) officers late Tuesday raided the Canberra offices of Bernard Collaery, the lawyer representing Timor-Leste in a landmark court case in The Hague.

In the last 6 years there has been no indication that the Sunrise gas will ever come to the shores of Timor-Leste. Nevertheless, a great amount of money has been spent for the preparations, such as: the bathymetric survey; the AUV survey; a geotechnical and geophysical survey at Beasu; Environmental Impact Assessments for the LNG plant, for a refinery and for a Supply Base; engineering design for a refinery, for the LNG plant, for a supply base, for ports, for a four lane toll road from Suai to Vikeke, for the rehabilitation of Suai airport, etc. The total cost for these mega projects at this early stage is already $100 million.